This invention relates to padlocks, cylinder locks and other locks In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of the common general knowledge or known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.
Padlocks, cylinder locks are well known types of locks. Furthermore, there are many patents and patent applications relating to locks such as, for example, AU 51912/93 and AU 52587/93.
AU 52587/93 describes a padlock having an extra deep recess for a second ball to enable shackle removal. The shackle is specifically described as a conventional shackle having notched locking recesses. The padlock includes a flat between the second locking recess and peripheral recess, as is common. The locking recesses and flat as described and depicted in AU 52587/93 are produced by notchingxe2x80x94more correctly called broachingxe2x80x94which is a process quite different from machining. One of the problems associated with this type of padlock is that it is weakened by the amount of material removed during manufacture.
AU 51912/93 prelates to a padlock having a float, free movement between the cylinder barrel and an optional part between the barrel and cam to eliminate the float and convert between a Type 1 and Type 2 padlock. Furthermore this padlock has a stop on the barrel to limit its rotation.
The padlocks of both 52587/93 and 51912/93 employ triangular shoulders projecting from the end of the barrel and end of the cam to mate with free movement with each other unless the xe2x80x98play-take-up bridgexe2x80x99 is positioned between the two sets of shoulders.
According to the invention there is provided a padlock, including a shackle having a short leg with a first locking recess and a longer leg having an opposed second locking recess, said longer leg being connected by a longitudinally elongated recess or flat to a peripheral recess disposed towards the end of the longer leg,
and a casing having a short and a longer recess extending into the casing from a first end surface to accept the short and longer shackle leg respectively, a central recess extending into the casing from an opposed second end surface, an offset recess extending into the casing from the opposed second end surface and intersecting the central recess, the intersection defining a first and a second longitudinally elongated cusp portion, said short, longer and central recesses being intersected by a transverse recess extending into the casing from a first side of the casing,
a cylinder having a key operable barrel characterised by an undisplaced position enabling key removal,
two opposed balls supported within the transverse recess; a first ball able to protrude into the short recess and first locking recess and a second ball to protrude into the longer recess and second locking recess,
a cam to control the balls, and a coupler to facilitate operable coupling between the cam and the cylinder,
the coupler being mountable within the body to provide a Type 1 padlock characterised by an unlocked, open configuration where short leg is free of the casing, the longer leg is supported in the casing and the key is removable,
the coupler being mountable within the body to provide a Type 2 padlock characterised by an unlocked, open configuration where the short leg is free of the body, the longer leg is supported in the body casing and the key and barrel cannot be rotated to the undisplaced position to enable key removal.
According to the invention there is further provided a padlock, including a shackle having a short leg with a first locking recess and a longer leg having an opposed second locking recess, said longer leg being connected by a longitudinally elongated recess or flat to a peripheral recess disposed towards the end of the longer leg,
and a casing having a short and a longer recess extending into the casing from a first end surface to accept the short and longer shackle leg respectively, a central recess extending into the casing from an opposed second end surface, an offset recess extending into the casing from the opposed second end surface and intersecting the central recess, the intersection defining a first and a second longitudinally elongated cusp portion, said short, longer and central recesses being intersected by a transverse recess extending into the casing from a first side of the casing,
a cylinder having a key operable barrel characterised by an undisplaced position enabling key removal,
two opposed balls supported within the transverse recess; a first ball able to protrude into the short recess and first locking recess and a second ball to protrude into the longer recess and second locking recess,
a cam to control the balls,
the angular disposition of the cam in the locking and unlocking configurations being determined by a stop comprising a disc-like member supported coaxially with and relative to the cam, and being angularly displaceable relative to the cam, and having a stop shoulder which protrudes into the offset recess, said stop having a first operative configuration where the stop shoulder abuts the wall of the offset recess adjacent the first cusp and a second operative configuration where the stop shoulder abuts the opposite wall of the offset casing adjacent second cusp, the padlock being characterised by:
a closed, locked configuration corresponding to the stop being in the first operative configuration, the short and longer legs being supported in the casing and restrained from displacing relative to the casing, the cam being in a locking configuration and retaining the first ball partly within the first locking recess and the second ball being partly within the second locking recess,
the cam and stop member being rotatable in an unlocking direction by the cylinder to displace the padlock to an unlocked configuration, and
an open, unlocked configuration corresponding to the stop being in the second operative configuration, the short leg being free of the casing, the longer leg being supported in the casing, the cam being in an unlocking configuration and retaining the second ball partly within the longitudinally elongated recess or flat or partly within the peripheral recess.
The shackle of the present invention differs in many respects from padlocks such as those described in prior art document AU 51912/93 including the fact that the present invention is stronger because less material need be removed during manufacture of the padlock of the present invention.
Furthermore, the padlock of the present invention differs from padlocks such as those described in AU 52587/93 because the present invention only requires inversion of a coupler to convert between Type 1 and Type 2 padlocks. The present invention does not limit the rotation of the barrel and therefore is applicable to interchangeable core where commonly the barrel has pin holes and is unrestrained.
Preferably, the cam includes a first cam portion comprising a substantially cylindrical portion defined by a peripheral, side, curved surface and having a longitudinal axis coaxial with the cam axis of rotation and which is parallel with and between the longitudinal axii of the short and longer recess in the casing,
said cam in a locking configuration presenting the curved surface to each ball to retain the balls in the locking recesses,
said cam in the unlocking configuration presenting a longitudinally elongated, side, first unlocking recess to the first ball and a longitudinally elongated, side, second unlocking recess to the second ball to enable the first ball to be removed from the first locking recess and the second ball to be partly removed from the second locking recess and be retained partly within the longitudinally elongated recess or the flat or partly within the peripheral recess.
Preferably the first cam portion is integrally connected to a cam drive portion relatively disposed towards the casing second end surface, said drive portion comprising two opposed drive recesses having coplanar floors wherein the plane is orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the cam, said drive recesses being on opposite sides of the cam axis of rotation and being defined by an axial between bridge comprising opposed walls, each wall having a first engagable drive shoulder at one end and a second engagable shoulder at the other end, said bridge having opposed part cylindrical portions to support the disc-like member which has an aperture of substantially circular cross-section interrupted by at least one inwardly protruding finger engageable with the first drive shoulder, wherein each finger abuts the first drive shoulder when the cam is in the locked and unlocked configurations.
Preferably, the padlock when configured as a Type 1 padlock, includes at least one drive pin supported within the cylinder barrel to extend into the space between the at least one finger and second drive shoulder to be engageable with the at least one finger, to enable the pin to be displaced about the cylinder barrel axis of rotation to displace the first drive shoulder and the interposed finger to the unlocking configuration, and the barrel and key to subsequently be returned to the undisplaced position while the drive pin correspondingly displaces freely within the space between the at least one finger and second drive shoulder.
Preferably, the padlock when configured as a Type 2 padlock, includes at least one drive pin supported within the cylinder barrel to extend through the space between the at least one finger and second drive shoulder to protrude into a pin recess within the floor of the drive recess and adjacent the finger, to enable the pin to be displaced about the cylinder barrel axis of rotation to displace the first drive shoulder and the interposed finger to the unlocking configuration, the barrel and key being unable to be returned to the undisplaced position because of the direct coupling between the drive pin and cam.
Preferably, there is an opposed pair of fingers, an opposed pair of drive shoulders, opposed drive recesses with pin holes and there is correspondingly an opposed pair of drive pins, said drive pins having passage through while being supported in a support disc to comprise a coupler, the drive pins being configured to protrude more from one side of the disc than the other and additionally being configured so that when assembled into the padlock body with the longer ends towards the cam, they protrude into the pin holes, and when assembled into the padlock body with the shorter ends towards the cam, they protrude into drive recesses but not into the pin holes.
Preferably, the first cam portion has a removal configuration enabling the removal of the shackle, the cam in the removal configuration presenting a longitudinally elongated, side, third recess, deeper than the second recess, to the second ball to enable the second ball to be removed from all the recesses of the longer leg, and wherein the cam is rotateable in the unlocking direction to the removal configuration while the stop remains in the second operative configuration, said removal configuration corresponding to the short leg being free of the casing.
Preferably each finger in the removal configuration of the cam abuts an associated second drive shoulder.
Preferably the padlock includes a torsion spring supported about the bridge having one end attached to the cam and the other within the offset recess to bias the cam towards the locking configuration.
Preferably, the padlock includes a compression spring within the longer recess to bias the shackle from the body.
Preferably, the cylinder is removable to provide accessibility to the cam to enable it to be rotated to the removal configuration while the stop remains undisplaced in the second operative position.
In a preferred embodiment, the cylinder is retained in the casing by a threaded fastener having a head accessible through the short recess, said cylinder barrel being free to rotate without limitation when the cylinder is removed from the casing.
In a preferred embodiment, the cylinder comprises an interchangeable core retained in the casing by a sideways protruding shoulder that is displaceable to withdraw into the core by the application of a control key, said cylinder barrel being free to rotate without limitation when the cylinder is removed from the casing.
Preferably, the cylinder comprises a pin cylinder having a casing with pin chambers extending from the surface of the casing, and wherein adjacent chambers adjacent the surface of the casing are joined by a channel, said channel accommodating a resilient elongated strip extending between the chambers and having substantially cylindrical portions extending one into each chamber.
According to the invention there is provided a padlock substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
According to the invention there is provided padlock shackle having at least one locking recess having a surface substantially comprised of portions of surfaces of revolution, each portion having an axis of revolution which intersects the general form of the shackle to provide a surface portion extending on all sides from the axis of revolution,
Preferably the shackle includes a locking recess comprising two such portions located adjacently and a small distance from an other recess each being joined by a channel portion.
Preferably the shackle is defined by two parallel co-planar legs; a short leg having a first locking recess and a longer leg having a second locking, substantially opposed, recess; the second locking recess being connected by a longitudinally elongated recess to a peripheral recess disposed towards the end of the longer leg,
the surface of the first and second locking recesses being substantially comprised of portions of surfaces of revolution , each portion having an axis of revolution which intersects the general form of the shackle to provide a surface portion extending on all sides from the axis of revolution.
Preferably, the longitudinally elongated recess comprises a longitudinal channel of substantially uniform cross-section.
Preferably, the peripheral recess comprises a peripheral channel around the periphery of the shackle body of substantially uniform cross-section.
Preferably, the portions of surfaces of revolution comprise spherical portions defined by a radius substantially the same as the radii of the balls.
Preferably the channel cross-section is defined by a radius substantially the same as the radii of the balls.
Preferably, the channel cross-section is defined by a radius substantially the same as the radii of the balls.
According to the invention there is further provided a padlock shackle substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
According to the invention there is further provided a padlock having a preferred padlock shackle.
According to the invention there is provided method of manufacture of a padlock shackle including advancing a rotating cutter blade into the side of an unformed shackle blank to manufacture a recess.
Preferably the method includes advancing a rotating cutter blade into the side of an unformed shackle blank and then advancing it longitudinally along the shackle body to manufacture a channel.
Preferably the method includes manufacturing a first and then a second locking recess by advancing a rotating cutter blade into the side of an unformed shackle blank and then partly withdrawing the cutter from the second locking recess and then advancing it longitudinally along the shackle blank to manufacture a channel, said longitudinal channel connecting to a pre-manufactured peripheral recess.
Preferably the method includes aligning the shackle blank so that the plane in which the axii of the spherical portions lie is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of a mandrel, fixing a leg portion of the shackle blank within an elongated recess in a substantially tangential extension to the mandrel which includes an operating lever such that a reference portion of the shackle blank is retained adjacent to a cylindrical portion of the mandrel with the recesses disposed generally towards the mandrel, said reference portion comprising the junction between a leg and joining portion,
positioning a roller adjacent the reference portion so that the shackle blank extends tangentially in relation to and from between the mandrel and roller, rotating the mandrel while maintaining the roller undisplaced to form the shackle blank into a shape corresponding to the mandrel to form the shackle body portion which joins the short and longer legs and to align the legs so that the longitudinal axii of the legs are substantially parallel.
Preferably the method includes surfaces of the roller and cylindrical portion of the mandrel, where they contact the shackle blank, comprise annular recesses having a semi-circular cross-section defined by a radius substantial the same as the radius of the shackle body.
Preferably the method includes the axis of the cutter being within a plane that intersects the longitudinal axis of the shackle blank.